TV Actor Was Given Training to “De-Gay” His Voice

Some gay men, though not all, speak with what’s been referred to as “gay voice.” It’s nothing harmful and I’ve heard it all my life. But there are certain people out there who don’t like “gay voice” and they want everyone to sound the same. This article goes a lot deeper and it talks about what it’s really like to be gay and work in TV from many different POVs. He is right about the conversion therapy part. 

Until recently, it’s been about hiding the queerness as much as possible for actors. I was told at drama school that I sounded too gay and I was given one-on-one training to de-gay my voice, which is basically conversion “therapy”. So, I was coming into the industry being like: “OK, I need to hide this big part of myself.”

Here’s more. I actually think all gay men, at one point, are conscious of their actions and their voices. They force themselves not to speak with “gay voice” because they don’t want to be judged. I remember the first time I ever went to a gay club and I realized I could speak any way I wanted to speak or move my hands any way I wanted to move them. It was quite freeing. And I felt safe. That’s what bothers me about straight actors playing gay or straight writers writing gay content. They will never fully know that feeling. They can pretend, they can ask their gay friends, but they’ll never know it first hand. 

  A Christmas Carl

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